In warez circles there has been much talk over the years about a pirate version of Windows XP, often referred to as "The Devil's Own" version. What this refers to specifically is a full version of Windows XP Pro Corporate,

Windows XP was first released on October 25, 2001. It required an online activation, with an option to call Microsoft by phone if no Internet connection was available, in order to use the product beyond an initial limited period.

Although beta versions of Windows XP existed prior to the release of the final version, the notion that The Devil's Own version of XP was a beta is not true. Any hacked beta releases came prior to the actual Devil's Own version appeared in the wild.

According to experts within the warez community, The Devil's Own version of Windows XP is a complete, non-beta version of Windows XP Pro Corporate and a special volume license key, or VLK, that allowed the version of Windows to work without activation. This eliminated the need to activate online or call Microsoft for the version of Windows XP to work indefinitely.

The Devil's Own Version and the associated VLK leaked prior to the October 25 official release date of the operating system. It is speculated that the leak came from a major computer manufacturer, namely, Dell, as they received the final version ahead of the official release date.

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